Nail polish is typically applied to finger and/or toe nails by hand using various coats. A first base coat is applied to the nail plate, which may serve to protect the underlying nail, as well as to facilitate adhesion of upper nail polish coats to the nail plate. Following the base coat, one or more color layers are then applied to the base coat on the nail plate. Then, a top coat is applied over the color coat(s) to strengthen and protect the nail polish, which may help the nail polish from chipping, flaking, or otherwise being damaged. When applied in the manner described above, the nail polish typically lasts between two days and a week before beginning to chip and/or flake. Further, when applying a base coat, intermediate color coat(s), and a top coat, the underlying layer may need to mostly or fully dry prior to applying the next layer, which may result in a significant amount of time between application of the base coat and drying of the top coat.
Curable nail polish, which may be referred to as gel nail polish or gel coats, is a type of nail polish that is cured instead of air-dried. For example, an ultraviolet (“UV”) curable gel coat may be applied manually and then exposed to UV source, such as a UV lamp or a UV light emitting diode(s) (“LED”) to polymerize or otherwise cure the gel coat. The resulting cured gel coat is often stronger than traditional nail polishes, lasting anywhere between one and four weeks before chipping, flaking, and otherwise being damaged. Typically, gel coat applications are performed at salons or other places of business rather than in the home, at least in part due to the additional hardware required to cure the gel polish.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to have a system that provides for easy, rapid, and accurate application and curing of gel polish to desired areas, such as the nail plates of the fingers, either for at-home or in-salon use.